The present invention relates to premixed culinary batters and particularly to a storage stable batter and method of preparing the same.
The primary consideration in the packaging of any food product is that of food preservation. It is essential in any food product which is susceptible to spoilage through bacterial and mold growth and intended to be consumed more than a few days after packaging, that steps be taken to inhibit microbial growth, e.g., the spoilage bacteria and mold growth in the packaged product. It has long been recognized that techniques such as freezing the product, retort canning the product, and preserving the product through addition of chemical biostatic and fungistatic agents can, in many cases, be employed with satisfactory results.
The freezing process, of course, requires constant refrigeration from the time of packaging until the time of consumption of the product. It has certain limitations in that some products do not lend themselves to freezing without some change in the properties of the product and thawing the product may be inconvenient.
The process of retort canning involves the heating of the product at the time of retort canning or packaging to destroy all bacteria and molds in the product and, thus, render the product sterile. Usually, the products are first packaged or canned, and then the container is heated to some temperature for a specified amount of time. The limitations of this process reside in that it is not suitable for use with products which cannot tolerate the high temperatures at this stage. Specifically, certain products will cook at the sterilizing temperatures. This, in some cases, may not be desirable, particularly in cases in which the product is a batter or the like which is to be cooked immediately prior to consumption. In other cases, it may not be desirable to cook the product at all.
The addition of chemical additives to the product can, in some cases, be effective to inhibit the growth of the bacteria and mold. However, certain food products possess chemical properties which are inconsistent with the conditions under which the biostatic and fungistatic agents are effective. For example, it is known that certain agents work more effectively when the food product is maintained at a low pH level. However, in many cases, a low pH level cannot be maintained in a food product due to inter-reaction of the ingredients of the product with the acid. This is especially the case with premixed batters for use in the preparation of baking products such as bread, biscuits, pancakes, and the like. These products require the presence of a leavening agent which generally cannot exist in a low pH solution without reacting with the acid of the solution.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,810,650 (Joslin), 3,275,451 (Holstein) and 3,170,795 (Andre) disclose that leavening action results from the reaction of an acidulant in the presence of a gas producing compound. It is also appreciated by these patents that premature leavening of such compositions is to be avoided. These patents suggest the incorporation of an acidulant whose acidity is activated by the baking temperature for reaction with the gas producing bicarbonate. The delayed acting acidulants disclosed are dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, alpha-glucoheptono-gamma-lactone and glucono-delta-lactone, respectively in these reference patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,220 (Going) similarly discloses that gas-producing chemical leavening agents should not be added to the batters prior to the heating step, and, if used should preferably be added just prior to the baking of the batters by the ultimate consumer. U.S. Pat. No. 328,419 (Marsh) discloses an acid lactate baking powder in which the acid and alkaline salts are protected from reaction during storage by the presence of a fatty material. U.S. Pat. No. 1,264,592 (Atkinson) also suggests the prevention of pre-reaction of baking powder by fatty separation of components.
However, to applicant's knowledge, it has not heretofore been known how to prepare batter premixes that are manufactured dry and are stable at room or refrigeration temperatures for indefinite periods when liquified by the ultimate consumer. Likewise, liquid batters can be manufactured that are effectively stable in the liquid state at refrigeration or room temperatures for weeks or months.